Bomberblitz's 2018 season preview of Richmond

[one-eyed]

A season preview from an enemy.

Richmond

Coach – Damien Hardwick

2017 –
Points For – 8th
Points Against – 3rd

Top 5 Best and Fairest

    Dustin Martin
    Alex Rance
    Kane Lambert
    Trent Cotchin
    Dylan Grimes

2017 Rising Star Noms

Dan Butler (Rnd 11)
Jason Castagna (Rnd 19)

Ins – Jack Higgins, Callum Coleman-Jones, Noah Balta, Patrick Naish, Ben Miller, Liam Baker, Derek Eggmolesse-Smith

Outs – Steven Morris, Taylor Hunt, Todd Elton, Ivan Maric, Chriss Yarran, Ben Lennon, Jake Batchelor

My Prediction

For those who actually read my predictions, I thought I would include my thoughts on Richmond last year;

    Richmond are as close to a basketcase list as you can get. They lack quality kids, they are topping up with reasonable older players. They have a solid midfield feeding a below average forward line. The backline is dependant almost solely on one player and they have terrible rucks. I can’t see Hardwick surviving past the halfway mark of the season. I think the Tigers will probably slip this year. 15-16th for mine.

The backline stood up last year. Rance had another good year but he also found some extra support, Grimes and Astbury were suddenly useful players. A lot of it on the back of the pressure from the midfield meaning opposition teams were usually rushing the ball forward allowing for easy spoiling or intercept marking. Houli was good off half back and they Vlastuin actually got on the field.

The midfield is where they got the job done. They carry two elite mids in Martin and Cotchin. Last year the foot soldiers stood up and they will need that again this year. Prestia was solid last year and Grigg continues to be dependable but when you look at the midfield it is really reliant on the top end talent to get the job done. Martin was amazing last year and will need to produce something similar for them to challenge again.

The forward line was largely dysfunctional last year compared to what we would expect from a premiership winning forward line. They were forced to go small after losing Griffiths early in the year and it just seemed to work. Reiwoldt did the team thing and often focused on bringing the ball to ground where the small guys focused on keeping the ball in and pressuring a goal. The only player in their top 10 goals kickers over 190cm was Reiwoldt. I am not sure that can happen again.

Nankervis was a great pick up last year. Any recruit that reduces the reliance on Shaun Hampson is a good one.

Last year will have to go down as one of the great coaching efforts. It cant be easy having a whole team working in the exact same direction for such an extended period. They played amazingly frantic but disciplined football and won a premiership on the back of it. They totally bought into his game plan and deservedly won the big prize. Can they do it again? I don’t think so. I wouldn’t be so daring as to predict them to miss the eight but certainly think they will drop this year. 5-7 looks about the mark.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Richmond best 22
B: Grimes, Rance Vlastuin
HB: B Ellis Astbury Houli
C: Grigg, Martin Edwards
HF: Lambert Riewoldt Rioli
F: Townsend Caddy Butler
Foll: Nankervis Cotchin Prestia
I/C: McIntosh Graham Castagna Bolton

DEPTH
Nathan Broad Jayden Short, Oleg Markov, Reece Conca, Corey Ellis, Connor Menadue, Anthony Miles, Patrick Naish, Shai Bolton, Jack Higgins, Sam Lloyd, Coleman-Jones Hampson

Expect Broad to start the season in the VFL to quiten the media about his offseason antics. Shai Bolton proobably the only one to squeeze into the Premiership team. They have some pretty good depth of kids there. I dont expect them to fall out of the 8 like the dogs but its possible to have a hangover.

Prediction: 4th - 9th
They finished 3rd H&A last year behind Adelaide & Geelong. I would have some of these teams potentially going past them on wins GWS, Swans, Bombers, Port & Dees.

https://discourse.bomberblitz.com/t/season-2018-richmond/12054

[MintOnLamb]

Pretty good synopsis and he quoted his last years comment which i agreed with at the time.
Roll on March 22

[YellowandBlackBlood]

"Any recruit that reduces the reliance on Shaun Hampson is a good one"

Got that one right! 

[Chuck17]

He must be the one normal Bomber fan out there, surprisingly good assessment

[Slipper]

Quite a thoughtful review, but I am still not sure why people think our forward line cannot work again this year?

Everyone waited for it to fall apart last year, and the simple fact is it got better and better. We lost Griffiths, but Moore will have another preseason in him, so having an extra tall up forward looks realistic if we need to.

To top that off, we have drafted a number of young talls who while raw, could go into our forward line and have an impact by being athletically competitive.

Teams couldn't figure us and our small forward line out last year. I don't see any reason why all of a sudden they all will this year. One or two might, but the majority will not.

[Gracie]

Quite a thoughtful review, but I am still not sure why people think our forward line cannot work again this year?

Everyone waited for it to fall apart last year, and the simple fact is it got better and better. We lost Griffiths, but Moore will have another preseason in him, so having an extra tall up forward looks realistic if we need to.

To top that off, we have drafted a number of young talls who while raw, could go into our forward line and have an impact by being athletically competitive.

Teams couldn't figure us and our small forward line out last year. I don't see any reason why all of a sudden they all will this year. One or two might, but the majority will not.

The "magical ingredient" in the small forward game plan is trust in each other to do their job and trust in yourself that you had the fitness and ability to do your job. We had this in spades in the last part of the home and away and especially in the finals. We also had the VFL team playing to the same tune.

Opposition teams are going to need to somehow break down this team belief system if they want to beat us this year.

And good luck copying us if you cannot bring this belief.

[Dougeytherichmondfan]

Prediction: 4th - 9th
They finished 3rd H&A last year behind Adelaide & Geelong. I would have some of these teams potentially going past them on wins GWS, Swans, Bombers, Port & Dees.

[Rodgerramjet]

Who ever wrote that review has no idea, we are a top 4 side and have had that capabilty for the last 2-3 years but the coaching dept was deplorable from the GM of football down, we rectified it and WOW. We could have quiet easily finished 2017 season as minor premiers, we were good enough to do that, WE PROVED THAT IN THE END.

[Beans]

The Bomber supporters are way over-rating their list. They somehow think Tippa and Green are potent small forwards (although Fantasia is good I admit). 

[mat073]

Someone remind these flogs we have beaten them our last 6 encounters and 8 of the past 10 .

Arrogant ****holes.

[RedanTiger]

Quite a thoughtful review, but I am still not sure why people think our forward line cannot work again this year?

Everyone waited for it to fall apart last year, and the simple fact is it got better and better. We lost Griffiths, but Moore will have another preseason in him, so having an extra tall up forward looks realistic if we need to.

To top that off, we have drafted a number of young talls who while raw, could go into our forward line and have an impact by being athletically competitive.

Teams couldn't figure us and our small forward line out last year. I don't see any reason why all of a sudden they all will this year. One or two might, but the majority will not.

The facts are that the times we got badly beaten last year were the ones where our BACKLINE failed (Adelaide, St Kilda, Geelong) on the back of a losing midfield and the close ones we lost were due to our midfield failing to hold control (Bulldogs, Fremantle, Giants, Swans) late in games.

The forward were, perhaps surprisingly, fairly consistent in performance and as said above got better and better.

His criticism of the midfield is probably fairly accurate early in the year but ignores the improvement over the year from the "foot soldiers" like Grigg, Edwards, Caddy, Prestia, Lambert, Graham, Rioli and Butler. He seems to be suggesting that all these players will go backwards in 2018. No surprise that our two Brownlow medallists were "elite" but he seems to imply Martin cannot even maintain his form let alone improve on last year. Best of luck pal.

PS Interesting to note that the only change he sees is Bolton for Broad in the GF team. Riiight.     

[Jackstar is back!!!]

The guy who wrote this has no idea
He states we got the job down by the midfield
The reason we were so dominant over the last 5 games of 2017 was that we defended the ground
The scores in all 3 finals at half time prove that they game is about defending
Our back 6 were awesome
This guy should watch the 3 finals and note the score line at half time in all 3 finals
Total rubbish post

[Chuck17]

Well isn’t that ironic

[wayne]

The guy who wrote this has no idea
He states we got the job down by the midfield
The reason we were so dominant over the last 5 games of 2017 was that we defended the ground
The scores in all 3 finals at half time prove that they game is about defending
Our back 6 were awesome
This guy should watch the 3 finals and note the score line at half time in all 3 finals
Total rubbish post

No opposition supporter seems to have actually watched how we play and how we did it.

No injuries, got lucky, the other team played badly is how they sum up our final series.

[🏅Dooks]

Well isn’t that ironic